COVENTRY City will go into their Division One opener at Stockport next Saturday boosted by a warm-up win against Belgian outfit KAA Gent.

But it took an own goal in the 89th minute to break the deadlock.

Ysrael Zuniga, the latest in a long line of Sky Blues substitutes, laid the ball back to Ivan Guerrero and the Honduran?s first time shot took a wicked deflection off Anders Christensen?s heel.

It left goalkeeper Frederic Herpeol hopelessly flat-footed as the ball bounced into the opposite corner.

Gordon Strachan gave some clues about his likely starting 11 for next week?s Division One opener at Stockport when he teamed David Thompson, Barry Quinn, Lee Carsley and Youssef Chippo in a bustling midfield formation with Honduran Jairo Martinez partnering Jay Bothroyd up front.

Gent created the first opportunity in the fifth minute when Vanic swung in a left-footed free-kick to the right touchline and Peeters nipped in unmarked to nudge a downward header past Kirkland, but Nilsson proved that his reflexes are still up to scratch by heading the ball over the bar.

City?s first sustained attack saw Bothroyd pop up on the left flank to pump over a cross that Martinez met with a first time effort which took a slight deflection as it whipped past the far post.

The Sky Blues provided the small crowd with an exhilarating move in the 12th minute when Bothroyd and Chippo combined skillfully in midfield and the Moroccan sprinted into the area to meet Hall?s lofted cross with a spectacular horizontal header that, unfortunately for the home side, was straight at keeper Herpeol.

Carsley just failed to get a stretching boot to Bothroyd?s low cross as City continued to show plenty of attacking enterprise.

But moments later the match was halted when Chippo and French midfielder Verschuere suffered a nasty clash of heads in midfield.

The Gent man came off worst in the collision and immediately headed for the dressing room with blood pouring from his forehead.

He was replaced by another Frenchman, Eric Joly, but Chippo returned to the fray after being patched up in the dugout.

Quinn?s fierce first-time shot thudded into Vanic as City continued to probe, Bothroyd leading the line well while Chippo was always ready to supplement the attack.

He passed up a tempting opportunity in the 34th minute however, volleying high over the bar when a lucky deflection gave Quinn the chance to cross.

Big Mo Konjic, in outstanding form at the back, suddenly broke forward two minutes later and thumped in a text-book cross which forced Herpeol into desperate action as Bothroyd moved in.

The keeper managed to fist the ball clear a split second before Bothroyd clattered in at the far post, but both players required treatment before play resumed with a drop-ball.

City had optimistic penalty claims rejected just before half-time when Carsley was sandwiched by a brace of Gent defenders as he tried to muscle his way through to Chippo?s up and under through-ball.

But seconds later City produced their best effort to date when Thompson?s slide-rule pass found Chippo, who had sprinted clear on the left.

Herpeol again reacted quickly to foil him but the ball bounced to Martinez who, seemingly with plenty of time to hit the unguarded target, could only fire into the side netting.

Half Time: Coventry City 0 Gent 0

Both sides lined up unchanged for the second-half and Gent, who had failed to show any threat up front after that early near-miss, made a brighter start with Kraouche sending a 20-yard pot-shot a foot or so over Kirkland?s bar.

Herpeol was again quickly off his line to intercept Bothroyd as Thompson split the Gent back four with a neat pass.

And Gent freshened up their side on the hour with a triple substitution.

Jacky Peeters, Djima Oyawole and Nas Kraouche went off to be replaced by Jerome Lempereur, Anders Christensen and Gaby Mudingayi.

Bothroyd, with a volley, and Chippo with a looping header from Nilsson?s deep cross, both went close without causing Herpeol any real concern before City made their first substitutions, Ivan Guerrero and Richard Shaw replacing Quinn and Williams.

Gent took the opportunity to send on Ibou Fay and Anders Nielsen for Vital Borkelmans and Darko Anic.

City forced a corner when Vanic moved in quickly to intercept Bothroyd?s cross towards Martinez and the kick set up a tangle that saw Hall finally clip a right-foot shot just past the post.

Seven minutes from time Strachan used up his full quota of outfield subs by sending on Ysrael Zuniga, Marc Edworthy and Tomas Antonelius for Bothroyd, Hall and Nilsson ? the veteran Swede getting a warm ovation from the 2,753 crowd.